Best Depth Sounder for catching BFT? How to view astern?

[bmcl322]

2 part question; 1st, what is the best fishfinder/sounder for catching BFT? I'd like to keep my budget under $2,500. Secondly, how do you get the transducer to read off the stern, when anchored up? If your depth finder can't 'ping' astern, into the herring slick, as the chunks drift with the current, it's not much good. I currently have a Raymarine A65 and it shoots a great pic under the vessel, but looking to upgrade and be able to see behind the vessel is probably the priority. Your thoughts? Thanks guys!!

[tuna-or-later]

Furuno FCV-585 paired with the right transducer is a deadly combo. Probably the best bang for the buck as well. Will come in right around your budget with a good transducer

[CaptKevin]

in your budget you would be best with a Lowrance with side scan it will give you a 180 view off the stern of your boat. It uses 2 tranducers so you get to see what is off your port and starboard along with the normal strait down view.
Most other fishfinders you only see what is under your boat, with side scan you can see what's off your sides. Side scan is great for finding bait as well. You can get a full system with chart in your budget. If you have any questions or would like to see the side scan on the water let me know and we can set something up. Kevin

[capt.dan]

I'll have to second the furuno 585 I bought one last year and put a b260 transducer on my boat. Killer!

[fmoore]

Furuno FCV-585 paired with the right transducer is a deadly combo. Probably the best bang for the buck as well. Will come in right around your budget with a good transducer

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Can't beat that combo

in your budget you would be best with a Lowrance with side scan it will give you a 180 view off the stern of your boat.

The Lowrance will not scan behind the boat. In addition it's not effective in deep water, it's really more of a freshwater/inshore graph in my opinion (I have an HDS with side scan on the bass boat). Same thing goes for the Humminbird side scan. I know Simrad produces side scan units, but I think they are essentially the same thing as Lowrance (Simrad is the parent company to Lowrance).

I think the only unit that's made to see behind the boat would be a searchlight type sonar if I'm not mistaken. That's a huge unit and a huge investment.

[Gadaluvit]

STAY AWAY FROM LAWRANCE, they suck! - End of Story.

[seapower]

If it ain't Furuno, it ain't s--t! You can get the same unit with different beam angle's. Seriously, just look at what the "high liner" commercial guy's use. Chance's are they begin with "F", Frank

[Bottom-Dweller]

in your budget you would be best with a Lowrance with side scan it will give you a 180 view off the stern of your boat. It uses 2 tranducers so you get to see what is off your port and starboard along with the normal strait down view.
Most other fishfinders you only see what is under your boat, with side scan you can see what's off your sides. Side scan is great for finding bait as well. You can get a full system with chart in your budget. If you have any questions or would like to see the side scan on the water let me know and we can set something up. Kevin

I’ve been using the Lowrance HDS7 for the past two years and have been very happy with its performance. We currently do not have the side scan option but been thinking about adding it soon.

At first I was not happy with the lack of information in the owner’s manual but soon realized that the operation of the system was so intuitive that the manual really wasn’t necessary.

[CaptKevin]

I personaly have a Furuno fishfinder. For the money/budget bmcl322 is in he will get way more bang for his $ going with a Lowrance HDS with side scan.
Yes most the big dogs/ comercial fisherman use Furuno sounders $20k Furuno sounders not a $2k Furuno.
With the shallow waters we have here around the Cape the Lowrance HDS works very well.

[bmcl322]

Thanks guys!! All good thoughts and I appreciate y'all taking the time to respond!! Ya, tough call. The Furunos gets high marks across the board, for sure. ....and Kev is 100% correct about the waters we fish in; generally between 10 and 50 fathoms. We don't need crazy powerful units. My Raymarine A65 is excellent, with good detail for our waters and relatively shallow depths (to 50 fathoms) directly under the boat.... even in 500 feet it shows some detail and it picked up the bottom at 1000 feet, no problem, as I learned when I was in FLA..... BUT FOR ME TO UPGRADE, IT WOULD BE FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE TO VIEW ASTERN. Does anyone have a unit (unit including appropriate Sounder and appropriate Transducer) that they use for BFT fishing, that allows them to see into the chunking slick, astern (besides Kev's aforementioned Lowrance - Sorry Kev, but it's a big purchase and I'm a little tentative on the Lowrance, given all the negative feedback). I would think viewing astern is very common amongst the commercial guy's units.... I'd even go up to $5,000, if I thought the unit would give me forewarning that the Tuna were, astern, in my chuncking slick. Your thoughts, kind gentlemen?